Bill Nighy, Gemma Arterton, Nell Tiger Free Set for PBS, BBC Adaptation of ‘The Portrait of a Lady’

Bill Nighy, Nell Tiger Free and Gemma Arterton are set to lead a new TV adaptation of Henry James’ beloved novel The Portrait of a Lady for Masterpiece on PBS and the BBC.

They’ll be joined by Jim Sturgess (One Day, Mix Tape) and Miranda Richardson (The Last Anniversary, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) in the six-part limited series. The First Omen and Servant star Free leads the ensemble as Isabel Archer, a vivacious New World ingénue who leaves America for Old World Europe, keen to experience all that life has to offer.

“A young woman with charm and an innate intellectual curiosity, Isabel rejects a series of marriage proposals, but when she inherits an unexpected fortune that promises to grant her freedom, she falls prey to two American ex-pat schemers: the elegant Madame Merle (Arterton) and the charming but calculating Gilbert Osmond (Sturgess),” reads a plot synopsis. “Nighy plays Mr. Touchett, who is enamored with Isabel’s youth and spirit and hopes to help her in her quest for freedom, while […] Richardson plays Mrs. Touchett, Isabel’s fantastically eccentric aunt, who takes her to Europe in search of a husband.”

Also starring in the show are Jack Wolfe (Shadow and Bone), Calypso Cragg (An American in Austen), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Nine Perfect Strangers), Hugh Skinner (Two Weeks in August), Hamish Frew (Dear England), Thomas Coombes (The Agency), Lydia Leonard (Down Cemetery Road), and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones).

Filming has begun and will take place across the U.K., Hungary and Croatia, The Hollywood Reporter is told.